If you are a fantasy football fan, you must know all the beautiful tales linked to the sport. Aren’t we right? Apparently, forming your own fantasy football league and playing is more thrilling if you go for knowing about the sport.
Indian national team’s small international ranking does not quite reflect the sport’s fame in the nation. People widely play and view football here. European club-level football matches and the international matches are a big hit among the younger gen in India. Let’s know about the football game origin and evolution.
Rich Tradition of Football in India:
Football has a rich tradition in India. And the history of the game in this nation is significant and something which is worth discussing. The starting of football journey in India traces back to the mid 19th century. It was when British rulers introduced the game in our nation. According to the records available, the first game on Indian soil has arranged between ‘Calcutta Club of Civilians’ and the ‘Gentlemen of Barrackpore’ in 1854. The first official football club of India, ‘Calcutta Football Club’, was established in 1872. Loads of us might be ignorant of the fact that Asia’s oldest football tournament. It is also the world’s third oldest football contest, has its roots in India. Branded as the “Durand Cup”, named after the then Foreign Secretary of India, Sir Mortimer Durand, this celebrated football tournament began its journey in Shimla in 1898.
The Taste of Victory
The very first notable achievement for Indians in football was Mohun Bagan winning IFA Shield Trophy on 29th July, 1911. They defeated East York Regiment by 2-1 victory margin. Mohun Bagan’s victory over the British sovereign had then become an issue of political nationalist upsurge; football had turned out to be an outlet of aggression for the young generation.
As a result of that victory, new football tournaments and football clubs grew rapidly in the nation, mostly in Calcutta (present day Kolkata). With an increasing number of activities in the football sports, the need for a regulatory body arose and thus the “All India Football Federation” – AIFF came to life in 1937. AIFF got recognized by FIFA in the year 1948 and it was one of the founder members of Asian Football Confederation (AFC), which was established in 1954. All these chronological events are a few unforgettable landmarks in the history of Indian football.
The Golden Period
Then saw the “Golden Period” of Indian football, which deserves special mention. India qualified for the World Cup – 1950, but later withdrew its participation because FIFA would not allow them to play bare foot. The year 1951 through 1962 will be remembered forever for the decade long worthy triumphs in the international space. The Indian footballers brought glory to the nation by winning the Gold medal in the 1951 Asian Games held in New Delhi. Then in 1956, India became the first Asian nation to register a semi-final appearance in Melbourne Olympic Games. India further established itself as the most dominating force to reckon with in the Asian sector with another Gold medal in the 1962 Asian Games held in Jakarta.
This is the glorious tale of football in India. Enjoy playing fantasy football in future!